40 Things To Do Before You Are Rich

Being rich is not all it’s cracked up to be. Yes, we all know money is great. But that doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want. We forget there actually are some things rich people can’t do.

Take Indian tycoon Azim Premji of Wipro. He’s amassed $17.1 billion so you would think he can do as he pleases. And he tries to. He indulges in frugal habits like flying economy class and staying at friends’ houses rather than paying for hotels. But there’s more. At a lunch party honoring his son’s wedding, he served food on paper plates. Paper plates?! If most of us did that, our friends and relatives would laugh at us. When Premji did it, the world laughed and it ended up in Forbes. As you can see, there are a few times when it’s actually worse to be rich.

I’m sure most of you read money blogs or magazines to help you be rich. And you’re a smart bunch so I’m sure you’ll get there. But while you’re on the journey, take a moment to enjoy where you are. Consider the following 40 simple pleasures which only get harder to do as you get more money and fame:

1. Eat at “low-class” restaurants

2. Cut your own hair

3. Make a road-trip instead of flying

4. Search for clothes on clearance

5. Paint your bedroom

6. Wear sweatpants–in public

7. Drink or cook with cheap wine

8. Buy a Halloween costume at Goodwill

9. Go camping and watch the stars

10. Brown bag your lunch

11. Write an angry letter to the editor

12. Buy standing room only tickets to a baseball game

13. Live with roommates or relatives to save money

14. Buy a lottery ticket

15. Go on a game show like “The Price is Right”

16. Give your friend a gift a little more expensive than you can really afford

17. Feel a real sacrifice when you give a big donation to a charity

18. Go to a practice night for an improv comedy club

19. Clip coupons to get a great deal

20. Drive a 10 to 15 year old banged up car

21. Get your furniture for cheap from Craigslist or a garage sale

22. Provide non-matching though fully functional silverware at a dinner party

23. Camp out for a movie premiere or sporting event

24. Do your own garden work

25. Pick-up food to avoid a delivery charge

26. Take a date to a picnic on the beach and fly a kite rather than going to a dinner and movie

27. Raise your bed frame with cement blocks to allow for extra storage space

28. Decorate your room with posters instead of framed art

29. Wait it out for a museum’s free day

30. Get on a club’s VIP email list to avoid cover since you can’t afford bottle service

31. Get all your books from the library

32. Bike to work to save gas money

33. Dispute a restaurant bill for overcharging you by a few dollars

34. Reuse something you shouldn’t–like a teabag

35. Fast and then eat more than you should at a buffet to get “value”

36. Dress up for a movie premiere

37. Have a pool party without worrying about pictures ending up on TMZ.com

38. Sun dry your clothes on a line

39. Use duct-tape to fix your appliances and furniture without hesitation

40. Play basketball or tennis on public courts

What simple joys would you add to the list?



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  • http://www.trueblue0213.blogspot.com/ Christina

    -Feel like it’s a special occasion when you occasionally do splurge on stuff

    Also, while traveling, you get to…
    -Stay in hostels (you meet cool people!)
    -Take public transportation (I think you get to know the area of places wayyy better, and you actually feel like you’re experiencing the place)

    I like this list. :)

  • http://www.mindyourdecisions.com/blog/ Presh Talwalkar

    Christina:
    Thanks! Your suggestions are great too.

    For more reactions, check out the Brazen Careerist site where a slightly different title brought out a lot more emotions:

    http://www.brazencareerist.com/2008/08/21/there-are-some-things-you-cant-do-after-you-are-rich/

  • http://senua.michaelnoker.com/ Michael Hoppal

    Actually, at this point, flying southwest was a lot cheaper than taking a road trip when we went to Denver. Sad, but true. Other than that, great list. I look forward to continuing this stuff over the next four years of college. Maybe it’ll be over then.

  • http://www.mindyourdecisions.com/blog/ Presh Talwalkar

    Michael Hoppal:
    Interesting that airfare can be cheaper–you must be close to the airports or have nice friends willing to provide ground transport. Sometimes I have to take cabs and that ends up as like 1/3 of the total cost. Amazing how the per-mile costs are different!

  • Michael Hoppal

    We’re pretty close… Maybe about seven miles or so. We were pretty much forced to fly anyways, because renting a car would have added even more cost. We sold our car last year because we picked a place to live over insurance — money is better now, but we still haven’t gotten a new car.

    Taxis are definitely very expensive. I had to take one home (just over four miles) a couple nights ago because the buses had stopped running, and it was over 14 dollars. I think next time I’ll just find a nice place to curl up and sleep on campus if I have to choose that or taking a cab.

  • http://asad123.wordpress.com Asad

    -Pick wildflowers for your Mom on Mother’s Day
    -Go to a restaurant alone.
    -Camp out for tickets to a fun event.
    -Ride the same roller coaster seven times.

    Check me out at http://asad123.wordpress.com. My latest post is a poem, but please don’t let that scare you.

  • ashwini khadilkar

    riding a beat up rusty two wheeler.
    enjoy a good sleep on mattress torn up by playful dogs.
    watch tv all day on Sunday
    walking dogs by myself
    wear nice but simple cotton clothes
    shaving eyebrows instead of getting a salon job
    colouring hair by myself
    make tasty simple food
    wearing cheap unmonogrammed bathroom slippers nipped by dogs.
    wearing cut offs and old tees at home
    not buying expensive sweets
    listening fm radio on mobile for free

  • http://www.mindyourdecisions.com/blog/ Presh Talwalkar

    Aswini Khadilkar I like this one:

    colouring hair by myself

    Imagine if someone famous did this and messed up! Oh the tabloids would go crazy.

  • ashwini khadilkar

    True, but then the someone famous would also be rich
    and have someone else do it for her!For a fat fee.

  • Anon1

    You can enjoy the fact that it’s easier to discern that people like you for yourself and not for your money or fame.

    Same goes for your blog writing! :-)

  • Cody

    Hello Presh!

    As I’m sure many of your readers have wandered over to your blog via the ‘Smaller Blogs/People We Like’ sidebar on the Freakonomics blog. As you might suspect, as I’m actually taking time to make a comment on your blog, that I enjoy your writings. Your monetary, shall I say, frugal-ness, is something I can identify with being a business finance student here at the U of Montana.

    I didn’t choose to this entry specifically to comment on, but felt it to be a piece less about money and more about life. Now I surely don’t want to come across as cheesy or anything but you provide some great thoughts about a lot of topics that keep me reading. Keep up the good blogging and thanks!

  • virt

    Everyone of us(except Azim) would end up doing only those 40 things said above, through out our lives and never get rich.
    I think the above excerpt doesn’t sound right. Yes people would laugh at Bill Gates, Mittal or Donald Trump if they had a bad hair day. But does it really matter?

  • http://www.mindyourdecisions.com/blog/ Presh Talwalkar

    Thanks for the supportive comment Cody–it might sound cheesy but such comments are great to read and are one of the main reasons I blog!

  • http://chiragchamoli.wordpress.com Chirag

    Be an extra in a movie ;)
    Haggle like crazy.

  • Jake

    How about never have to deal with people with a lot of problems asking to borrow money. That would be my only problem with being wealthy.

  • Chris

    Dude, being rich doesn’t mean being known, or famous. Forbes doesn’t have to be following you.

    You don’t have to become a billionaire.

    And if your a billionaire you can just let everyone know that you do crazy things.

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